Pikotchart

IFTTT

IFTTT is an If...Then statement using different common applications online or some that can be found on an iPhone. Here are some examples: 

 

 IFTTT is used to trigger different actions based on apps 

you choose that are compatible with the website. For example,  to the right is an image from the IFTTT iOS app on the iPhone. Here is shows, "If I post a photo to Instragram, Then save my Instagram photos to Dropbox." So the next time a user posts to instagram they will find the photo in their dropbox.

Glogster

Glogster is a website to creatively convey all sorts of ideas. The site is ideal for educators and students to put ideas and information in an easy and fun to read digital poster. The Glog can feature videos, audio, photos, data, text, and graphics that can be accessed easily through the tools. This is a test Glog I made about one of my favourite bands, Bon Jovi.
Users are able to access several different templates to get them started, or they can start from scratch selecting a landscape or portrait orientation. Image upload is simple and quick. I've used tons of sites that allow you to upload photos or videos, but take FOREVER to load onto the program. This was nice to see that the program acted fast and made it easy to make a professional looking program, with whatever you have.

ThingLink

Thinglink.com is a website I first discovered through my eighth grade science class. My teacher loves all sorts of programs like these. Thinglink is a website using an image of your choosing, and attach links to it.   Take any image and put it into the program. Then find links, photos, videos, audio, and add them to your Thinglink. Each link is put into one of these link buttons. The viewer will simply mouse over the button to view the description, see the video, or picture. This site makes it possible for teachers, employers, and everyone else, to organize information, and make it simple to share.

Penzu

Here is a link to a journal entry, on Penzu.

Penzu

Penzu is an online journal. If you don't like paper, or you want to be green, this is a great tool for you to use. Here I used an example idea. You can add photos, change text, layout, and highlight. The program isn't for me however. I would rather have the black and white composition notebook and a black ball point pen, that cost  fifty cents. But, I supposed that is just my preference. Other than that, I do likethe site, and I find it good for more than just a journal. I would use it to organize notes, if you're in class, and treat it as an all around general notebook. By those uses. I think I might use the program a little more. I am in love with notebooks, and I'm always intrested in new and cool uses for them and find ones with awesome designs. So I think this has a lot of uses. And the journal is completely password protected at your descretion. With a pro account you can even add and encryption for all your secrets to be safe. You may have multiple journals as well.

More photoshop

     I did this a while ago, when I first learned to use Photoshop. I like this project, especially just to make a fun poster or something of the sort. This is taking text and putting pictures into it, so the images form the shape of each letter. These can be one word as one picture or each letter may have its own. I think its cute and fun to look at. I just personalizes the words.

 The text can fill the page as much as you want,                                                      or as little as  desired.

A little fun with photoshop

Today I just had some fun with Photoshop and I made a Halloween themed alien.

 And I had messed around with motion blur.

Animoto

   Animoto.com is an online slideshow website. I'm not a fan of the site for a couple of reasons.
                  The first is that users are only allowed to make 30 second videos with a free account. Anything longer requires a premium account, which means it's paid for. I think for a site like this it's not even worth the money, because you are very restricted in what can be done on the site.
                   The second thing I don't like is the customization. I think for a video editing program, the user should be able to create and customize their own personal video. With Animoto, you are given a choice of slideshow layouts, asked to submit pictures and videos. These pictures can have captions and text overlays, but that is all. I couldn't even adjust the time of the pictures brought in. The program gives the user very little freedom.
                Another thing I don't like about the site is that it organizes and orders your photos and videos for you, when its produced. So any order arrangements have the potential to change. This is because the site analyzes your pictures and videos. Then it arranges them into what it thinks is the best order. However, if you want a specific order that makes it difficult.
                I am, however, only speaking using a free version of the program, and I may have misunderstood the differences between Premium and Free accounts. This site is meant for people who don't want to deal with a lot of editing or complex adjustments in a video. I would only recommend this site, for a quick slideshow/ video, rather than anything looking amazingly professional. I think there are a lot of way better programs out there, and I've even used other slideshow creators that allow for more choices at no cost.
                 Here is an example of what can be done on Animoto for a Free account:
Bugatti Veyron

I acknowledge that the product looks nice, most of my concerns are from an editing standpoint. I don't like the feel and using of this website.

Storybird

So today I used a website that I first used a while ago, but it has been awhile.
          Storybird.com  is a website that provides you with a large collection of images and works of art. When you've selected your image theme, either by artist or idea, you begin your story. The idea of storybird is to switch how we commonly think about a story. Instead of illustrations reflected the story, the illustrations bring out the story inside them.
           A picture is worth a thousand words. This is a link to a Storybird I made last year, called The Soul of My Dreams. While I'm not completely excited about how amazing this story is, it does convey what can be done with it. Check it out for yourself. It's great for Creative Writing classes and English classes for all ages. There are stories for preschoolers and adults. Everyone can enjoy Storybird and I find it quite a fun and unique site.

Edulaunch

     Edulaunch.com is a website for new Photoshop users. The site requires a subscription for classrooms, and it is centrally based for technology classes and computer classes. The site can help introduce new photographers to the popular editor . It is good for long time users to practice basic skills, and works for those who have used Photoshop but could use more help. Here is an example of what I have done as a sample project. This is about how the concert flyer should go.

The Edulaunch website gives the student step by step instructions on how each piece is made, click by click with your mouse. When instructions are too difficult to explain with words, the site also uses the occasional video to show you where to find settings and what to do with them. The site is a great idea for teachers planning on lessons with Photoshop or people who want to know how much they can do with their computer.

Color Theory

      Many might be familiar with color theory, whether or not they consciously use it. Color Theory is a set of principles used to create harmonious color combinations. This uses the color wheel which is formed by wrapping the color spectrum in a circle. Some of these principals are color combinations such as complimentary colors, secondary colors, analogous color scheme, value, etc. Here is a good worksheet that explains basic ideas about colors, their association in different cultures, and color combinations.

Online Photo Editors

      Okay, so after all of my friends talking about it, I visited Pinterest in a digital design class. Its appeal is obvious and makes things easy to find, organize, and just learn new and fun things.
      Interested in what I could find, I typed in a search. I wrote: Online Photo Editing and this is some of the stuff it came up with. Two of these sites I already have used many times, which makes this simple. I chose a new one as well to see how easy it is to learn about something from a pin.
     The first site it came up with was a site called PicMonkey. PicMonkey can do quite a few things. I've used the site to create basic collages, add simple effects to photos, and add my own fun captions. PicMonkey is not really much of an editing site. The main uses are to take a photo, add different sorts of effects to it and maybe add some stickers on it. The site is simple enough to use and makes it pretty user friendly. It also has a Google Chrome app for easy access. This was how I first found the site.
    The second site I noticed was something called Pixlr. Pixlr is another site I found look for Chrome apps. The program is essential Adobe Photoshop for your computer. While it has some differences, most controls are basically the same. The con of this program is the interface. It's not very user friendly and can be a bit overwhelming for newbies. Anyone who has some experience in Photoshop will be able to adjust to the site pretty smoothly. Some portions are paid for, however the site is mostly free and without any sort of login. My computer at home doesn't have any Adobe Products so I'm always looking for a free alternative, and I think this is the closest I've gotten. I think its a great program if you know what you want to do. At the first the options of were so overwhelming, but I think it was good in that sense.
    The third site I visited from Pinterest sent me too a blog featuring many photo sites. Many of which I visited. I chose a couple, but they led me to sites like PicMonkey and PhotoFunia. These weren't what I was looking for, but I found Picozu. Picozu is again a similar framework as Photoshop. Probably because Photoshop is one of the best photo editors that most people know of. Again this site is incredibly similar to Photoshop. The layout of the site makes it look like another filter site, but don't be deceived by large buttons and pink fonts. The site is quite a player in my opinion and I see myself using it in the future. One of the coolest parts is the ability to bring in a .psd file into the editor from Photoshop. Because the editor is online you can easily add them to Facebook, dropbox, Google Drive, skydrive, flickr, etc.
     Overall I think these sites are my favorites for editing photos online, and I've used them many times and will be using them more in the future.

QR Codes

     QR is the short term for "Quick Reaction." These codes can be quickly scanned by almost any smartphone. Most phones, however, will require an additional app to be downloaded. There are TONS of free QR readers out there, though. If you don't know what I mean here are some examples of QR codes:

 

 

 

[YOU CAN SCAN THESE TO VISIT DIFFERENT WEBSITES THESE LINK TOO]
These can be multiple colors and come in a variety of sizes and complexities. Many products, advertisements, and even store fronts will have QR codes these days. They are a fast and easy way to send people to their website, to help them buy items, etc. These codes don't have to go just to a homepage. They can go to more complex links that have multiple searches in them or tabs:  

These sites send you to various sites, that have special searches and send you straight to the part of the site that the dealer wanted you to go to.







This Quick Reaction to the recognizable QR code makes it easy for popular singers to send fans to their website, or large market app companies can send you to compatible websites.

RobbieWilliams.com

Webstagram.com

 Many of these QR readers, like RedLaser or ScanLife, will also scan standard bar codes on products you wish to buy. These apps will allow you to check prices in your area for the product
that you scanned. This helps when
prices are not labelled on the store
shelves as well, making these apps
an important tool on your phone
for budgeting.

Big Huge Labs

      This morning I tried another website, similar to Photofunia.com, called BigHugelabs.com However this site had some different activities. I've chosen three projects I've done to show you.

1.) Pop Art Poster. This fun design is loosely based on the concept of Andy Warhol's famous Marlyn Monroe painting. These are fun to create of your friends, make an interesting profile pictures, or as a fun screen saver. This specific image is Gerard Way. This doesn't require a super high quality image, however it requires good lighting, so dim lighting or shadowy images are not recommended.

All rights to the original image are reserved to its owner.

     These can always turn out to be fun and interesting. As you can see, this image is pretty plain and there isn't a noisy background. I personally feel that is a better choice for this project. This works best with an obvious focus point, because most small and weird shapes in the background will drown out the center.

2.) Jigsaw Puzzle. This not only looks pretty cool as an image itself, but can purchased and sent to you, via Big Huge Labs. This makes a great present for a young cousin or even a teenage friend, with a picture of the two of you, their favorite band, their favorite book, etc. Here I've chosen the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette. While I won't be buying this puzzle, I think I may know a cute present for my brother...

All rights to this original image belong to Chevrolet
and the rightful owner of this image

          This project is obviously a cute and fun game, as I said before, however this doesn't represent everything that can be done on Big Huge Labs. Certain other activities are silly and pointless. For example, the Color Palette Generator, Mat frame, On Black, which are pointless tools, that do nothing, but add a 'museum style mat frame' or make the background of an image black. 






3.) Movie Poster. Here you can create a custom movie poster out of your favorite image and add directors, writers, release dates, cast, title, sub-title, tagline, etc. This is all fun except for the obvious picture that these titles go on top of. This only allows you to important one simple image, and unless it's a high quality image, it can look a bit pixellated. Here you can see a basic image filling the whole project. What you need first, is

All rights reserved to their owners

an image editor to allow you to make the photo look cool, and more edited and eye-grabbing than a normal digital image you might typically find. Here I've taken an image I edited with Photofunia.com, to give it a more interesting element than the flat image it was before. This is another example of what I would call a silly tool provided by Big Huge Labs. Personally I prefer Photofunia.com however I wouldn't completely avoid this site, because while many things on the site are pointless and a waste of time, some make a fun project or even gift.

TED Talks

     Okay so, you may or may not have heard of something called TED Talks. TED is a non-profit organization dedicated to "Ideas Worth Spreading." It originally began in 1984 as a single conference bringing together people from technology, design, and entertainment. Today there are TED conferences all over, talking about all sorts of things.
     Recently, I watched an interesting video about modern films, and their lack of female protagonists. Colin Stokes, tells stories about his kids watching Star Wars. He compares the almost entirely male casting of Star Wars to the Wizard of Oz, with a female protagonist and female antagonist. The talk is about how we look at man-hood, where our ideas of what a man should be come from, and how that is, or should be, changed.

Visit Ted Talks for more videos.
Watch the video from Colin Stokes here: How Movies Teach Manhood